About Excel
Thisisn'tjustamartialartsschool. It'swhereLivingstonfamiliesgrow.
Built on one belief: that the right environment, held to the right standard, changes children for life.
WHY EXCEL IS DIFFERENT
THE IVY LEAGUE OF MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOLS
Most martial arts schools teach the same kicks and punches, the same way a community college and an Ivy League university both teach the same calculus 101 class. The math doesn't change. What changes is the standard of instruction, the quality of the environment, and the level of expectation, and that's exactly where transformation either happens or it doesn't. I built Excel so that martial arts is the vehicle and character is the destination, and every class here is intentionally designed to develop the focus, discipline, and confidence your child carries home long after they leave the mat.
But here's what that analogy doesn't capture: the warmth. The team knows if a student has been missing from classes and they reach out. They know the student's birthday. They know which student had a rough week and what they need to hear before they step on the mat. The team makes sure the environment feels like somewhere families genuinely want to be.
This community isn't a byproduct of good programming. It's something we build on purpose, every single day.
Kamiza
Our Story
Martial arts is our vehicle. Character development is our mission.
Excel Martial Arts Academy opened its doors in November 2023 in Livingston, NJ. What we built was never designed to be just another school.
See, martial arts is so much more than what most people expect. It's not about learning to fight. It's about getting on a journey that teaches the hard things: discipline, respect, and the kind of persistence that sticks with you long after you've left the mat. Livingston, with its strong families and high standards, is the perfect home for what we're doing at Excel.
We're not just here to teach. We're here to make a difference, helping children become not only confident in themselves, but kind, focused, and ready to make good choices.
By the numbers
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Black Belts, created by Sensei Hany over 20 years. Guiding 750 students from white belt to Black Belt isn't luck. It's a system, written down and refined over two decades, and now trained into the team that teaches it every day. Every student here is under the care of that team and the direct guidance of Sensei Hany, so nobody gets lost on the way to their goal.
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Years of Teaching
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Students Trained
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Five-Star Testimonials
Meet The Team
The people behind every belt, every breakthrough, and every class your child can't stop talking about.
Sensei Hany
FOUNDER
Sensei Hany has trained in martial arts for 26 years and taught for 20, guiding over 750 students to Black Belt. He holds a 4th Degree Black Belt in Karate and a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He opened Excel in 2023 to build something more intentional, where martial arts is the vehicle and character is the destination.
Deshi Yasmine
HEAD INSTRUCTOR
Deshi Yasmine has trained in martial arts for 26 years and holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Karate. She grew up on the mat, and it shows in how she reads a student. As the highest-ranking female at Excel, she's a role model our young ladies look up to and a leader they can see themselves in.
Ms. Stella
INSTRUCTOR
Ms. Stella helps keep Excel running smoothly, from maintaining the facility to making sure our students are training consistently. She also leads our Little Dragons classes and our beginner-level kids classes. The energy she brings is the kind you notice the second you walk in.
See the room
This is what Tuesday at 5:15 actually looks like.
Click any photo to view full size.
READING ALL THE ABOVE IS ONE THING. STANDING ON THE MAT IS ANOTHER.
TRYING OUT THE PROGRAM AND SEEING FOR YOURSELF IS ANOTHER.
Our Mission
We don't just teach martial arts. We build the whole child.
Every class at Excel is built around a single question: what does this child need to become their best version of themselves?
For some children, the answer is more confidence. For others, it's focus. For some it's resilience, learning that missing the mark isn't the end of something, it's just the part that comes before getting it. And for others still, it's simply the experience of working hard toward something and actually reaching it.
There's one more thing that happens here, and it's the part parents tell us about most. Kids make friends. Real ones. They walk in and someone calls their name, they train next to the same kids week after week, and eventually those kids become the reason they don't want to miss class. That matters more than it sounds like it does. A child who feels like they belong somewhere works harder, sticks with it longer, and comes home happier.
Whatever your child brings through the door, we meet them there and move them forward. We don't promise to hand your child a destination. We promise to teach them how to travel toward one. And if they apply themselves inside this school, they will grow in ways that show up at home, at school, and in how they carry themselves through the world.
A Genuine Standard
Belt progression at Excel is earned, never given. Every level has defined skill and character milestones. When a student advances, they know exactly what they did to get there. That kind of achievement builds something no participation trophy ever could.
Intentional Instruction
Nothing at Excel is accidental. Every class, every interaction, every correction and every celebration is designed to develop the whole child. Our instructors don't improvise. They execute a curriculum built for real growth.
Real Relationships
The team knows all students students the way a great coach knows their players. Not just their name, but their week, their wins, and their struggles. That relationship is not incidental. It is the foundation of everything that happens on the mat.
Community That Lasts
Excel families don't just come to class. They become part of something. The connections built here, between students, between families, and between students and their instructors, are what make this school different.
Our Core Values
These aren't values we put on a wall. They're how we run the school.
Our core values aren't decorative. They are the operating system behind every class, every belt promotion, every interaction with a student or family.
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Black Belt Excellence in All We Do
Black Belt Excellence is not a rank. It's a standard. It's the decision to do every single thing, on the mat and off it, at the highest level you're capable of. Sensei Hany holds every instructor, every system, and every interaction to that bar, and we hold our students to it too.
Honor the Art
Martial arts is a tradition we don't take lightly. At Excel, we honor what has been passed down by maintaining a genuine standard of instruction, a real belt progression system, and a culture that respects the art itself. There are schools that hand out belts to keep students happy. We are not one of them.
Do the Right Thing
When it's easy and when it's hard. When someone is watching and when they're not. We do the right thing for our students, for their families, and for each other. That shows up when we tell a parent honestly that their child isn't ready to advance, and when we reach out to a family whose student has been absent because we noticed and we care.
Constant and Never-Ending Improvement (CANI)
The day we think we've arrived is the day we start falling behind. Every instructor, every class, and every system at Excel is in a state of continuous development. CANI is also what we teach our students. Every belt level asks something more of them. Every class pushes them a little further.
Testimonials
Real Parents. Real Transformations.
Don't just take our word for it. Here's what families are saying about their Excel experience.
Rachel S.
Google Review
"Sensei Hany and his team are incredible. My son walks taller, listens better, and asks to go to class on his off days. The standard here is real."
Daniel K.
Google Review
"Both of my children train at Excel. The instructors actually know them, push them, and celebrate them. You feel the difference the moment you walk in."
Maya P.
Google Review
"Our daughter started shy and unsure. A few months in, she's confident, focused, and proud of every belt she's earned. Excel does what they say they do."
Jonathan B.
Google Review
"We tried two other schools before Excel. The instruction here is in a completely different league. It's worth the drive every single week."
Aisha R.
Google Review
"Belt promotions at Excel mean something. My son knows exactly what he did to earn each one, and you can see how that confidence carries into school."
Greg M.
Google Review
"Clean facility, exceptional instructors, and a community that genuinely cares. Best decision we've made for our children this year."
Rachel S.
Google Review
"Sensei Hany and his team are incredible. My son walks taller, listens better, and asks to go to class on his off days. The standard here is real."
Daniel K.
Google Review
"Both of my children train at Excel. The instructors actually know them, push them, and celebrate them. You feel the difference the moment you walk in."
Maya P.
Google Review
"Our daughter started shy and unsure. A few months in, she's confident, focused, and proud of every belt she's earned. Excel does what they say they do."
Jonathan B.
Google Review
"We tried two other schools before Excel. The instruction here is in a completely different league. It's worth the drive every single week."
Aisha R.
Google Review
"Belt promotions at Excel mean something. My son knows exactly what he did to earn each one, and you can see how that confidence carries into school."
Greg M.
Google Review
"Clean facility, exceptional instructors, and a community that genuinely cares. Best decision we've made for our children this year."
Greg M.
Google Review
"Clean facility, exceptional instructors, and a community that genuinely cares. Best decision we've made for our children this year."
Aisha R.
Google Review
"Belt promotions at Excel mean something. My son knows exactly what he did to earn each one, and you can see how that confidence carries into school."
Jonathan B.
Google Review
"We tried two other schools before Excel. The instruction here is in a completely different league. It's worth the drive every single week."
Maya P.
Google Review
"Our daughter started shy and unsure. A few months in, she's confident, focused, and proud of every belt she's earned. Excel does what they say they do."
Daniel K.
Google Review
"Both of my children train at Excel. The instructors actually know them, push them, and celebrate them. You feel the difference the moment you walk in."
Rachel S.
Google Review
"Sensei Hany and his team are incredible. My son walks taller, listens better, and asks to go to class on his off days. The standard here is real."
Greg M.
Google Review
"Clean facility, exceptional instructors, and a community that genuinely cares. Best decision we've made for our children this year."
Aisha R.
Google Review
"Belt promotions at Excel mean something. My son knows exactly what he did to earn each one, and you can see how that confidence carries into school."
Jonathan B.
Google Review
"We tried two other schools before Excel. The instruction here is in a completely different league. It's worth the drive every single week."
Maya P.
Google Review
"Our daughter started shy and unsure. A few months in, she's confident, focused, and proud of every belt she's earned. Excel does what they say they do."
Daniel K.
Google Review
"Both of my children train at Excel. The instructors actually know them, push them, and celebrate them. You feel the difference the moment you walk in."
Rachel S.
Google Review
"Sensei Hany and his team are incredible. My son walks taller, listens better, and asks to go to class on his off days. The standard here is real."
Your next step
Want to see what we're about?
Come experience it.
The best way to understand Excel is to walk through the door. Schedule a free trial lesson and let us show you what happens when children are trained by people who actually know them.